Whether you’re looking for a relaxing evening out or something fun to do with family and friends, a packed weekend of events lies ahead.
From movie screenings and live music to painting experiences and community events, Kendal Trott has your guide to what’s happening this weekend.
Special services during the Cup Match season
As Cup Match approaches, Bermudians and visitors looking to get out on the water have some new options this summer. Early Bird Charters is now offering fishing charters, swimming excursions, and Cup Match boat tours, giving guests the chance to experience Bermuda from the water during one of the island’s biggest holiday weekends.
The case underscores a fight between an increasing number of companies that complain about regulatory overreach during EU antitrust investigations and enforcers looking to investigate anti-competitive practices
International News via Reuters:
Europe’s top court on Thursday endorsed antitrust regulators’ powers to seize employee emails during dawn raids, saying that they are justified in order to preserve competition.
The case underscores a fight between an increasing number of companies that complain about regulatory overreach during EU antitrust investigations and enforcers looking to investigate anti-competitive practices, with dawn raids an important tool to unearth potentially incriminating data.
The ruling by the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) concerned dawn raids carried out by the Portuguese competition regulator at some companies where they seized emails exchanged by employees and managers.
The companies subsequently challenged the legality of those seizures before a Portuguese court, arguing that the seizure of business emails on the basis of a warrant issued by the public prosecutor and without prior authorisation by a court infringed on their EU fundamental rights.
The Portuguese court then sought guidance from the CJEU.
“EU law does not preclude the seizure, without prior authorisation issued by a court, of business emails exchanged between the employees and managers of undertakings subject to an investigation,” the CJEU said.
Judges said any impact on privacy and civil rights was outweighed by the general interest of preserving undistorted competition, adding that such seizures are in general subject to procedural safeguards.
The Portuguese court will now rule on the merits of the case based on the CJEU judgement.
The cases are C-258/23 Imagens Médicas Integradas, C-259/23 Synlabhealth II and C-260/23 SIBS Sociedade Gestora de Participações Sociais and Others.
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Thomas Derpinghaus
The new tariffs, announced late on Wednesday, could eventually ensnare countries from India and China to the EU, Japan and South Korea
International News via Reuters:
The U.S. has announced 25% duties on most imports from Brazil, reviving a trade war that could embroil dozens of countries around the world as the Trump administration reworks its tariffs policy, one of its signature diplomatic tools.
The new tariffs, announced late on Wednesday, could eventually ensnare countries from India and China to the EU, Japan and South Korea as President Donald Trump seeks a trade reset after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down a previous round of global levies.
The new program is based on investigations into unfair trade practices under Section 301 of the U.S. Trade Act and close to 80 cases involving dozens of countries have been opened by the U.S. Trade Representative.
The investigations include probes into excess industrial capacity and trade in goods made with forced labor.
Wednesday’s announcement by the USTR office follows a proposal by the Trump administration in June to impose a tariff of 25% on many imports from Brazil after deciding its practices were unfair on a range of issues from digital trade to illegal deforestation.
“Extensive negotiations with Brazil over the past year have not resolved these issues, but we remain open to continuing negotiations with Brazil to bring about long-needed changes to the problems identified in this investigation,” U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said in a statement.
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said the U.S. decision was without any justification.
Brazil would immediately begin proceedings to invoke instruments provided for under the “Reciprocity Law” and revisit the matter within the framework of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, he said on X.
Joe Brusuelas, chief economist at the RSM US consultancy, said the U.S. move was possibly the precursor to a round of trade negotiations with the “maximalist negotiating tactics that are the hallmark of the Trump administration.”
“It likely is the kickoff of a round of bilateral negotiations that will result in a trade framework that involves tariffs and ongoing negotiations rather than part of a comprehensive overall trade policy.”
India, one of the biggest trading partners of the U.S., has struggled to sign a trade deal with Washington at least partly because of the Section 301 investigations.
“The Brazil case…is a warning for India,” said Ajay Srivastava, founder of the Global Trade Research Initiative think tank. “It shows that Washington can use trade action not only over tariffs and market access, but also against any policy it sees as unfair to U.S. business.”
‘LULA HAS PUT HIS OWN EGO AHEAD OF MAKING A DEAL’
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who was accused by Lula of being anti-Latin America when the U.S. tariffs were proposed in June, blamed the Brazilian president and said “Lula and his government have not negotiated with the US in good faith.”
“For the past year, Lula has put his own ego ahead of making a deal for the welfare of the Brazilian people, and these tariffs are the price for that,” Rubio said in a strongly worded post on X.
The Brazil tariffs would apply to thousands of imports, including sugar, agricultural machinery, apparel, electrical machinery, paper and steel.
The U.S. said it would exempt all the products proposed for exemption in the June notice, except high-purity dissolving pulp and non-pharmaceutical applications of certain products.
The exemptions include beef, coffee, rare earths, energy products, aircraft and aircraft parts.
The U.S. also added organic honey, pig iron, unflavored instant coffee and some other products to the list of exemptions on Wednesday.
The investigation into Brazil, opened last July, cited several alleged unfair practices, including illegal deforestation and Brazil’s instant payment system, Pix, which the U.S. government argues disadvantages credit card companies.
Brazil vehemently rejected all the allegations.
Brazil has also been included in a separate Section 301 investigation by the USTR, due to conclude on July 24, into connections to forced labor in the supply chains of dozens of countries.
The probe is expected to result in an additional 12.5% tariff, bringing the total burden for Brazilian products to 37.5%.
Additional reporting by Shivangi Acharya, Rocky Swift, Akanksha Khushi and Joao Manuel Mauricio; Writing by Raju Gopalakrishnan; Editing by Muralikumar Anantharaman, Christopher Cushing and William Mallard
Companies in Europe’s benchmark index STOXX 600 are forecast to report earnings growth of 16.7% in the second quarter, according to LSEG IBES data
International News via Reuters:
A surge in energy-sector profits is set to help European blue-chip companies post their strongest earnings growth in more than three years, according to LSEG forecasts published on Thursday as the reporting season gets underway.
Companies in Europe’s benchmark index STOXX 600 are forecast to report earnings growth of 16.7% in the second quarter, according to LSEG IBES data, based on results from 28 companies and market estimates for those that are yet to report.
Still, the rate excluding energy companies indicates a more modest 6.4% rise. European energy majors are seen posting profits more than 125% higher year-on-year, helped by higher oil and gas prices following disruptions to shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.
Revenue is expected to increase 11.1% yearly, compared to previous estimates of 10.5% one week ago.
Dutch chipmaker ASML, Europe’s most valuable company, helped sentiment after reporting earnings above expectations and raising its 2026 sales forecast on Wednesday.
During the week of July 20, 52 companies are expected to report quarterly earnings, including Swiss drugmaker Novartis, Italian bank UniCredit, German software giant SAP and Volkswagen, all of which are expected to provide a broader read-through on European corporate demand.
Reporting by Mirko Miorelli, Javi West Larrañaga; Editing by Matt Scuffham
Last year, European prosecutors charged dozens of Greek stockbreeders with faking ownership of grazing land to claim millions of euros in EU subsidies with the alleged help of state employees and conservative politicians
International News via Reuters:
Four acting members of Greece’s parliament were among 22 people indicted on Thursday by the European Public Prosecutor’s Office over an investigation into alleged farm fraud that has rocked the Greek government.
Last year, European prosecutors charged dozens of Greek stockbreeders with faking ownership of grazing land to claim millions of euros in EU subsidies with the alleged help of state employees and conservative politicians.
The scandal has prompted ministers’ resignations and inconclusive parliamentary probes.
The EU has also fined Greece over the misuse of the funds between 2016 and 2023 by government agency OPEKEPE, which handles the subsidies and payments.
EPPO said in a statement it was indicting four acting members of parliament over acts allegedly committed in 2021. They include abuse of trust, unlawful management of EU funds, false attestation, and attempted computer fraud.
It dismissed allegations against seven other deputies due to lack of evidence, it said.
At the request of the European chief prosecutor, parliament voted in April to lift the parliamentary immunity of 13 lawmakers from the ruling New Democracy party, so they could be investigated.
Following EPPO’s statement on Thursday, Greek government spokesperson Pavlos Marinakis said the four deputies indicted over misdemeanors are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
The former president of OPEKEPE has also been charged on five counts of abuse of trust, while other political staff have been accused of misdemeanors, EPPO said. It added that other investigations into alleged acts committed at different time periods were ongoing.
The EPPO, which began operations in 2021, is the EU’s independent public prosecution office tasked with investigating and bringing to judgment crimes against the bloc’s financial interests.
The charges come weeks after Greek police arrested 20 people on the island of Crete after dismantling a criminal gang suspected of assisting farmers with submitting applications to receive EU farm funds based on false declarations of farm land.
Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou; Editing by Sharon Singleton
Google had challenged the fine handed out by an Italian administrative court in 2022, prompting that court to seek guidance from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU)
International News via Reuters:
Alphabet unit Google on Thursday lost its fight against a €750,000 ($854,250) fine imposed for gambling advertising on its YouTube video platform four years ago as Europe’s top court sided with Italy’s communication authority.
Google had challenged the fine handed out by an Italian administrative court in 2022, prompting that court to seek guidance from the Luxembourg-based Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU).
The U.S. tech giant said it was shielded from liability for content uploaded by third parties under EU telecoms rules. The YouTube videos promoting online gambling had been uploaded by a content creator with a commercial partnership deal with Google.
Big Tech has repeatedly cited this exemption against attempts by regulators and users to hold them responsible for content uploaded to their platforms amid growing worries globally about the impact of social media on children.
“Google may be held liable for the YouTube videos of a content creator with whom it has a commercial partnership,” the CJEU said.
Judges said online platforms could claim exemption from liability if they merely “act as an intermediary service provider carrying out a strictly technical, automated and passive activity, excluding any knowledge or control over the information which is transmitted or stored.”
“That is not the case where an operator reviews, for the purpose of concluding a commercial partnership contract, the main theme of a video channel, that channel’s most viewed videos or newest videos and the associated metadata,” the CJEU said.
Google did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
The Italian court will now rule on the merits of the case based on the CJEU’s judgement.
The case is C-421/24AGCOM (Online gambling).
Reporting by Foo Yun Chee; Editing by Mark Potter and Susan Fenton
The move is the latest in a series of measures Britain has taken to support its steel industry, including a new set of tariffs and quotas to protect the sector from the dumping of cheap steel, and a tariff deal with the United States
International News via Reuters:
Britain has nationalised British Steel, fully taking over the lossmaking company that was previously Chinese owned in an effort to protect the future of steel production in the country, the government said on Thursday.
The move is the latest in a series of measures Britain has taken to support its steel industry, including a new set of tariffs and quotas to protect the sector from the dumping of cheap steel, and a tariff deal with the United States.
The government said it was bringing British Steel into public ownership in the national interest, to preserve the country’s ability to make steel domestically.
“Today’s decision secures the future of steelmaking in the UK, protects skilled jobs and safeguards a vital national capability,” outgoing Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.
BRITAIN’S LAST PRIMARY STEEL PLANT COSTS MILLIONS TO SUPPORT
The government seized operational control of British Steel from its Chinese owners, Jingye, in April 2025 to prevent the closure of the steelworks in Scunthorpe in northern England and protect 2,700 jobs at the plant, as well as thousands more in the supply chain.
The plant, the country’s last remaining primary steelmaking site, supplies the rail, construction, and automotive industries.
But in recent years it has struggled with high energy costs in Britain and a glut of steel in the global market, and business minister Peter Kyle told Times Radio the government was spending over a million pounds a day to keep it running.
“We need that virgin steel production because if this were to disappear, we would become at the mercy of international markets and supply from other countries,” he said.
Estimating that the government had already spent £640 million ($866.1 million) to keep the plant open, Kyle said: “It is value for money for the British public, but we need to make sure that this business moves forward.”
Legislation to allow the government to take ownership of British Steel received final approval on Wednesday after the state failed to find a buyer for the company, which was privatised under Margaret Thatcher in 1988.
Industry group UK Steel said nationalisation was the right move, and the sector now needed “a long-term plan that restores British Steel to commercial sustainability”.
($1 = 0.7389 pounds)
Reporting by Akanksha Khushi in Bengaluru, Muvija M and Alistair Smout in London; Editing by Sonali Paul and Jan Harvey
Brent crude futures were down 27 cents, or 0.32%, to $84.68 a barrel at 1011 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 11 cents, or 0.14%, to $79.49 a barrel
International News via Reuters:
Oil prices eased on Thursday as traders weighed escalating tensions between the United States and Iran and the risks to oil supplies moving through the Strait of Hormuz.
Brent crude futures were down 27 cents, or 0.32%, to $84.68 a barrel at 1011 GMT, while U.S. West Texas Intermediate futures were down 11 cents, or 0.14%, to $79.49 a barrel. Both contracts remain close to one-month highs.
“The market is still reacting with a surprising degree of calmness,” said Ole Hvalbye, market analyst at SEB Research.
“It seems reasonable that prices could continue to climb towards $90-$95 and maybe even touch the $100 mark again and that is because the Strait of Hormuz is repeatedly being disrupted, creating uncertainty over oil flows from the Gulf.”
The U.S. struck Iran’s coastal defences and missile sites on Wednesday after reimposing a naval blockade of its ports, while Tehran threatened to shut off more regional energy exports, saying it was engaged in an “existential war” with America.
The escalation comes after a fragile truce reached in June collapsed, reviving fears of a return to full-scale conflict and disrupting energy flows through the Strait of Hormuz, which handled about a fifth of daily global oil and LNG trade before the war began.
Fewer vessels passed through the strait on Wednesday, the first day after the U.S. reimposed its naval blockade on Iran. Seven crossed on Wednesday, down from 13 the previous day.
“Markets could remain cautious as they assess immediate supply risks. So far, despite heightened military tensions, oil tankers continue to sail through the Strait of Hormuz, although in more limited numbers,” said Wael Makarem, financial markets strategist lead at Exness.
Iran said on Thursday the strait was an inviolable “red line”, warning that if U.S. President Donald Trump carried out his threat to attack Iran’s infrastructure, it would strike all infrastructure across the Gulf region.
Analysts say Iran has signalled it may use its Houthi allies in Yemen to shut the Bab el-Mandeb gateway to the Red Sea, opening a new front against Washington and putting a second of the world’s most vital energy arteries at risk.
Oxford Economics said the likeliest scenario was that low, fluctuating levels of traffic through the strait spark intermittent oil price rallies that keep average prices above $80 per barrel for several quarters.
Elsewhere, Ukraine’s Security Service said on Thursday that together with Ukraine’s navy it has struck two Russian “shadow fleet” tankers with naval drones in the Black Sea.
Reporting by Anushree Mukherjee in Bengaluru, Yuka Obayashi in Tokyo and Colleen Howe in Beijing. Editing by Lincoln Feast, Jamie Freed and Mark Potter
Britain’s economy eked out minimal growth in May as the services industry expanded but other sectors shrank, suggesting fragile confidence among businesses
International News via Reuters:
Sterling hovered near its highest level in more than two months against the dollar, and edged lower versus the euro, as concerns over Britain’s fiscal outlook faded.
Andy Burnham is expected to appoint interior minister Shabana Mahmood as finance minister when he becomes Britain’s prime minister next week, rather than the more left-leaning energy minister, Ed Miliband, easing concerns about fiscal discipline.
Britain’s economy eked out minimal growth in May as the services industry expanded but other sectors shrank, suggesting fragile confidence among businesses.
The greenback was little changed against major currencies as the impact of cooling inflation on U.S. rate expectations offset risks of a further spike in oil prices.
The pound was down 0.05% at $1.3533, after jumping 1.13% the day before to $1.3556, its highest level since May 12.
“For markets, a move away from Miliband as chancellor is likely to be seen as modestly supportive given his preference for greater fiscal expansion,” Matthew Ryan, head of market strategy at global financial services firm Ebury, said.
Andy Burnham is expected to be formally sworn in as prime minister on July 20.
Britain will need extra tax rises or spending cuts to prevent government debt spiralling higher from current levels, the Office for Budget Responsibility said last week.
“Stronger trend productivity growth would enable the economy to grow somewhat faster before inflation begins to take off and makes it easier to generate sufficient tax revenue to fund public spending,” Andrew Wishart, UK economist at Berenberg, said.
“We don’t think that the policies new Prime Minister Andy Burnham has proposed so far will make much of a difference to the UK’s long-term growth prospects, but he might get lucky,” he added.
Wishart argued that the UK economy is not out of the woods, but a combination of resilient growth and flatlining employment implies that the pickup in productivity growth seen in 2025 has continued into 2026.
The euro rose 0.13% to 84.79 pence after falling 0.72% on Wednesday to 84.55 pence, the lowest level since June 10.
reporting by Stefano Rebaudo; editing by Sharon Singleton
Full police statement:
Shortly before 10:25 pm on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, Police received a report from staff at the Emergency Department of the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, that two juvenile males, a 16-year-old and a 15-year-old, had attended the facility seeking treatment for gunshot wounds.
Their injuries were described as non-life-threatening.
A confirmed scene has not been identified. However, it is believed the reported shooting may have taken place somewhere in the areas of St. John’s Road, Langton Hill and Field View Lane, Pembroke.
The suspects are believed to be two males dressed in dark clothing and wearing dark coloured helmets, who fled the area on a black motorcycle, traveling in an unknown direction.
An investigation into this incident has now begun. Police are urging residents of St. John’s Road, Langton Hill, Field View Lane and environs, who may have heard or seen any suspicious activity shortly before or after the time of the reported shooting, to please contact Detective Sergeant, Shannon Trott on, 717-2152, or via email, strott@bps.bm.
You may also call 211, the main police number, 295-0011 or the independent and confidential Crime Stoppers number, 800-8477.
Alternatively, please provide the information via the BPS reporting portal at portal.police.bm, or speak with a police officer you know.
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